Walking Dead
by reddwarfaddict
Summary: It wasn't until the third time Rose checked the dead body did she really begin to take in that it was the Doctor, and he'd been shot six times in the back. Eventually merges in with Jack's Torchwood. Lotsa DoctorWhump.
1. Murder On The Powell Estate

**A/N: **Disclaimer: I disclaim everything. Literally, everything…except my DW poster, can I keep that please? And my figurines. And my sonic. And my posters. And the mug that I know ZK's got me for Christmas. And my TARDIS money box. And all my DWMs. And my K9. And my books. And my CDs. And…you get the picture.

Hmm, now this is a strange one. This is one of those ones where I think up something one boring science lesson, develop over the day then promptly disregard it for a while before I decide to write something, and now I'm posting with the knowledge at some point I'll have to write some more. That was how the Rambles started, anyway. Great writer's technique. So much PLANNING!

* * *

Chapter 1 – Murder On The Powell Estate

She didn't know what had quite started the argument but knowing them it was probably something extremely petty. The last argument they had had been about the colour tea cosies looked best as, and before that it had been why the Sonic Screwdriver beamed a blue light when it could have as easily have been pink or fluorescent orange.

But now she had no idea what started it this time, but next thing she knew they were yelling across Jackie's flat at each other screaming that the other had no sense in colour co-ordination. All their arguments seemed to be about colours, anyhow.

Jackie had been trying to calm them both out of their 'tiff', but failing dismally. Next thing Rose knew the Doctor had leapt over the sofa in a single stride and was going straight to the front door, muttering to himself as he went. It was unusual they'd argue but anything they did argue over would be so minor it would be forgotten by the next morning.

It wasn't her fault if he failed to see the funny side of it, so she yelled, "I don't care if you _die!"_and just for effect, "and not regenerate!!!"

Because that was the funny thing.

The Doctor was still muttering to himself as he slammed the door behind him, shoving his hands into his pockets and walking towards the stairs to the TARDIS below. He knew he would spend most of the night moping about it alone in the TARDIS before realising what a trivial matter he'd got himself worked up over, then run out of the TARDIS to Jackie's flat at 5:00am in the morning to wake Rose up and apologise, give her a hug and spend the rest of their time together talking until Jackie woke up to which they would bid their farewells and disappear off into the sunset. Well, that was what had happened last time anyway.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts he never even registered the presence moving towards him on his left, but next thing he knew he'd walked straight into another person.

He didn't look up, just murmured a quiet apology and carried on walking. He didn't hear the sound of a gun being loaded behind him. He didn't feel the sudden cold rush of air blow eerily across his face, or the sudden feeling of his own mortality screaming for him to dive for cover…

All he felt was the blackness through his mind as his back surged with agony, and he silently collapsed to the ground.

* * *

"He's a man and you're a woman sweetheart, you're bound to go off the rails somewhere…"

Rose sighed, dropping down onto the sofa dejectedly staring at the floor.

"And ya always make it up, 'e'll come wanderin' in soon enough beggin' forgiveness, you mark my words."

She nodded, knowing it was just mild. They were inseparable best friends and nothing as trivial as a mild dispute over colour co-ordination was going to break them up. The only possible thing in the universe that could break them up was actually either her dying or him dying and not regenerating.

She laughed to herself, plaguing over the impossibility of this thought before she heard it.

Six gunshots one after the other rang out in some kind of beat, and seconds later the sound of something heavy hitting the floor rang out.

Rose's heart caught in her throat.

Then she was moving, faster than the speed of light as she threw open the door and bounded out into the evening air, eyes frantically searching for him. She'd never stopped to think maybe it had been on the street below – besides, why would anyone want to kill the Doctor?

…Wait. No, What was she _thinking?_Even her mother wanted to kill the Doctor. Probably most of the imprisoned species in the entire Universe wanted to kill the Doctor. After all, he _was_the one who put them there.

So frantic in her rush she almost tripped over the bundle lying on the floor and she stumbled in her run, turning to see what had caught beneath her feet.

And turned away again.

It wasn't until the third time she checked the dead body did she really begin to take in that it was the Doctor, and he'd been shot six times in the back.

She couldn't even speak as she dropped to her knees next to him, not wanting to believe her eyes. This was a nightmare. This wasn't real. Please let her wake up…please…

But it seemed the nightmare was never going to end as her mum came tumbling out the doorway behind her, her screaming lost in the mixed thoughts rushing through Rose's head. She tentively reached down to one of the bloody bullet marks in his back and dared to touch it, trying to prove it was just a hallucination.

However, it was real. Awfully, horribly real.

The grief gripped her tightly and squeezed the life out of her as her wet eyes traced up his body to his face. Deep brown eyes stared lifelessly at the balcony wall, face expressionless with his mouth hanging open in a silent scream. He'd obviously been caught by surprise. She lifted two fingers and rested them on his neck – no pulse.

"No!" she choked, a tear dropping from her cheek to his lifeless face and running down to the balcony ground. "Regenerate!" she begged, "why aren't you_regenerating?!"_

Lights were on around them now, nearby people flooding out of their flats in dressing gowns to see what the commotion was all about. Several gasped. Others started to scream in alarm as more and more lights flickered down the balcony flats.

Rose sobbed uncontrollably, feeling her mum's arms wrap supportively around her as she reached up with two shaking fingers to his eyelids, drawing them closed. She couldn't bear to see those enticing brown eyes, once full of infinite energy and life now so dead and empty. She closed his jaw next, making him look as though he was just asleep.

Minutes passed on the balcony, Rose waiting still and silent for him to regenerate. She waited. And waited. And waited. By the time the paramedics had confirmed his death, zipped him up in a body bag and taken him away on the ambulance – she was still waiting.

* * *

**A/N: **Hmm, now that's a mind boggler. 


	2. Jack's Investigative ‘N Detective Agency

**A/N:**This'll be short like _My Darlin' Rosaline, _I'd say six chapter at most. Though, saying that, be assured there'll probably be a massive plot twist somewhere along the way knowing me that'll take another twenty chapters to sort out. Oh and by the way, apologies for the out-of-characterness of the TW crew, it's been a while since I watched a full ep so I'll watch one later, reflect on this chapter and groan loudly :D

* * *

Chapter 2 – Jack's Investigative 'N Detective Agency

"Why aren't you regeneratin'?" Rose Tyler was asking the Doctor's dead body for the twenty-third time that minute. "Regenerate. Please. Regenerate."

She had seen so much death, so much disaster and so many people losing their loved ones to forces they couldn't control. She had always felt the emotions of a death, comforting the grievers before she and the Doctor had moved on. She had learnt to accept it.

But she couldn't accept this.

Here he was, her Doctor lying dead in a hospital morgue, pale and rigid. She hadn't moved from his side for a few hours now, stroking back his hair as if it would somehow help the regenerative process. He wasn't dead. He could never be dead. Although his skin was pale and his eyes were white, he didn't smell like a dead person and though it wasn't exactly evidence in court, she could _feel _he wasn't dead.

But his hearts had stopped beating. His lungs had stopped taking in air. His brain stopped processing a million thoughts a minute, and now he was dead.

They'd probably found out his alienality by now, but she didn't care. She was going to stay with him until he regenerated. Maybe it was the air. Maybe it was his surroundings. Maybe it was something on the bullets.

"Rose?"

She jumped at the voice, whirling around to see an extremely familiar person leaning casually in the doorway.

"J-Jack," she stuttered, clearly confused. "Why…?"

"Torchwood," he answered simply, moving closer to her and the dead Doctor. "We investigate alien lifeforms, and we were called by the hospital doctors on this."

He stopped by the table, for once a solemn-looking expression on his handsome facial features. "I knew it was him straight away. Two hearts is a bit of a giveaway."

"He'll come back. Just wait. He still has three bodies left…he'll come back. I _know_ he will."

The man on the table didn't look at all like the Doctor to Jack. He must have died and changed before with Rose, and now he was dead again. Shot in the back. The assailant must've had no shame.

"Listen Rose…" He rested a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "We're gonna take him out of here and go back to Cardiff; Owen's gonna work his magic and we're gonna find out exactly what happened to him. Maybe we can get him to regenerate."

There was a momentary pause before Rose nodded, and allowed herself to be taken away from the Doctor and be led out the door.

* * *

"It's Owen Harper stepping up to take the shot, probably the most talented player to set foot on the court since Michael Jordan himself – this is the moment of glory, the do or die, the all or nothing…the crowd are eagerly awaiting in immense anticipation…" 

Owen cast an eye around the Torchwood base: Toshiko staring unblinkingly at one of her eight different monitors, Gwen nattering on the phone to Jack in her vibrant Welsh accent and Ianto staring at a wall over the far side.

"Well…" he muttered, "…ish." He looked back to the small basketball hoop fixed in place above the bin, scrunching up the ball paper he held even further. "He takes aim…" he squinted for precision, his hand bouncing back and forth as though it were on elastic. "And he…SHOOTS!" He released the paper ball from his grip, which flew through the air almost in slow motion, hitting the rim of the mini basketball net and rolling around like water spiralling down a plughole, until it finally dropped down through the net. "HE SCOOOORES!"

Owen bounded onto his feet, punching the air in true triumph as the paper ball hit the base of the bin, doing the winning dance. He pivoted on the spot, trying to do 360 degrees only to manage 180 degrees instead, coming face to face with Gwen Cooper, arms folded but with a grin on her face.

"Jack says to get out your autopsy equipment," she said to the basketball hero. "He's coming back."

Owen sighed dramatically, turning on his heel to go to the medical room.

"Did our mighty esteemed leader tell us why?" he asked vaguely from halfway across the room.

"Maybe he wants to have dinner!" Gwen said sarcastically in a cheery voice, watching Owen as he looked back over his shoulder at Gwen, a fake half smile appearing on his features.

"Har, har," he said; all amusement vanished.

"He says he's arriving by helicopter in about ten minutes."

Owen turned, and disappeared down the ramp.

* * *

Ten minutes later Jack lifted a blue plastic sheet and let it drop to the floor, revealing a long, black, zipped up body bag. The entire Torchwood team watched in anticipation as a pretty young blonde girl took place beside Jack, far too distraught to bother to introduce herself though she seemed pretty acquainted with Jack. 

Jack reached slowly up to the zip on the body bag, drawing it down to reveal first of all wild brown hair, then the hint of pale white skin of a forehead. Gwen Cooper winced as closed eyes were revealed, followed by a nose, then a mouth. She could see how much of a pretty boy he was, even though he was now looking very much dead.

Soon the body bag was totally unzipped, revealing the Doctor dressed only in plain white t-shirt and trousers to the world. Owen was confused.

"You want me to do an alien autopsy on a human?" he questioned Jack, who was now trying to comfort the emotional Rose, distressed at the sight of the body lying infront of her.

"He's not human," Jack supplied simply in-between whispers of comfort to Rose. "And yes, you're gonna do an autopsy. His species is supposed to regenerate when they die but for some reason he hasn't – which means there's somethin' stopping it."

Without another word he suddenly turned from Rose and the Torchwood crowd, reaching down to a metal suitcase set on the floor at his feet and pulling it up. He laid it down on the table to his right, pushing in the buttons as the suitcase popped open.

It immediately revealed documents and vials, sealed bags of evidence and photographs paper clipped together, the equipment of a CSI. Jack stepped back from the case to allow them to see the contents, gesturing at it all.

"But before that, we're gonna have a scan over the evidence the police found, see if we can't find a lead somewhere. This is gonna be the biggest case you guys have ever worked on and you don't rest until his killer is putty in our hands," he said through determined, gritted teeth. It was impossible to miss the amount of anger in Jack's eyes at the sight of the dead man's body.

"Owen," Jack said, turning to the London doctor, "I want you to catalogue his injuries and remove those bullets. Gwen," he turned to the Welsh woman that Rose vaguely recognised, "I want you to get your police mind out on this – this suitcase is yours from now on." He closed the suitcase and passed it to her, before turning to Tosh, "Tosh, I want all the technical perspective, analyse anything and everything. Ianto…" he turned finally to the Welsh man lingering at the back Rose hadn't seen before, "we need to get rid of all the trace evidence that he ever existed. Retcon if you need to, I don't want anyone chasing after him."

Jack finally turned to Rose, gesturing at her with the group watching intently.

"Oh, and by the way, this is Rose Tyler. Owen, put your dick away, and let's get to work."


	3. Don’t Say The Z Word

Chapter 3 – Don't Say The Z Word

"Owen, anything?" Jack's voice asked from behind him as Owen looked up from poking about inside the alien's back, a huge frown apparent across his face with his brow furrowed.

"Nothing!" Owen declared, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve as he set his tools down on a side table. "Get this, right?" He beckoned Jack towards him and waved his hand vaguely over the Doctor's back, ridden with holes. "Six bullet holes, an entire barrel fired from five metres distance. I can believe that, yeah. But look at this…" He hovered a circle over one of the holes with his gloved finger. "No gunshot residue around the wounds."

"Could've been high tech?"

Owen was shaking his head. "I thought that, but then…" He reached over to the side and picked up an X-ray sheet, holding it up to the light. "Here's where the bullets entered, see the disruptions internally?" Jack nodded, scrutinising it closely. "But look, the bullets aren't visible on the scans. So I took a look around, nothing. Not even any exit wounds…" he trailed off, as if letting Jack form his own opinion on the matter.

"Don't be stupid, they can't just disappear…" Jack said instantly, looking down at the Doctor's pale and unmoving facial features. It really was quite scary. "Okay, did you catalogue his injuries?"

Owen nodded, dropping the X-ray and handing Jack a piece of paper with written notes on.

"The damage from the quote bullets unquote was irreparable. If by some miracle he survived and was human he would be paralysed, and would spend the rest of his life on a ventilator to compensate for his injuries. I can't say anything specific – he's too different internally – but what I do know is there is no chance this guy was murdered by human hands, or a human weapon…" he paused for a moment, before adding, "…or human morals."

Jack nodded, resting a hand on Owen's shoulder. "Shooting an unarmed man six times with his back turned…these guys had no reason to love."

There was a brief pause as both men took this in. Jack finally turned, walking up the steps towards Tosh.

"Get your autopsy equipment ready," he suddenly said, not being able to turn around for the image of the Doctor dead on the table. "If nothin' turns up, we're goin' in." He disappeared into the main Hub.

* * *

"So were you two together?" was one of Gwen's first questions as she and Rose sat down together to examine the contents of the suitcase. To her surprise, Rose shook her head.

"Not…really. He was my best friend." The very fact she was using him in the past tense brought tears to Rose's eyes.

Gwen looked at her, raising a supportive smile. It was a technique she frequently used to use in police interrogation, just that little smile of reassurance to a person could coax them into saying a lot more. "But…?"

"I wouldn't have minded," Rose said simply, wanting to steer away from the subject. She gestured at the contents of the suitcase. "What you lookin' for?"

"Any evidence of his murderer; footprints, fingerprints, that kind of thing."

"Got anythin' yet?" came a sudden voice from the doorway and Rose turned to meet Jack strolling into the room. Gwen shook her head.

"This man covered everything up Jack, there's no trace."

"Dammit," he cussed, fists tightening. "This thing's pretty good."

"Thing?" Gwen echoed. "So we've found it's not a human?"

"Not in method. Doesn't rule it out though." He sighed. "Then there's only one thing left to do."

Gwen and Rose looked at Jack as he rose to full height.

"We're gonna slice him open and take a look inside."

* * *

Rose had opted to stay out of the room during the procedure and no one could really blame her. It was hard enough just accepting your best friend had been murdered, never mind how he looked internally. Tosh and Ianto had also chosen that specific time to find other thins to do, leaving Jack, Owen and Gwen ready for the autopsy.

Owen readied to knife, hovering over the lines he would cut into his alien patient. Standard Y scar since this alien was basically humanoid in structure.

Slowly he lowered the knife to the Time Lord's chest, making a direct incision along the sternum. He pressed harder, finding more layers of skin than he would with a normal human patient. He broke the skin and started to slice downwards.

But he wasn't ready for what was about to happen next.

He heard himself screamed in alarm as suddenly a pair of hands flew up and gripped his neck tightly, throttling the life out of him. His previously dead patient was now perfectly alive and screaming, jumping up off of the table and backing Owen into the Med Room's white wash walls. Deep brown eyes stared at him with hatred, the grip around his neck tightening as the alien began to strangle with intent to kill.

"Holy shit!" Owen heard Jack's alarmed voice from infront of him, but his vision was already beginning to blur and merge into indistinct shapes, on the verge of completely passing out.

The alien's eyes began to glow slightly, a bright blue energy tingling in his irises as suddenly an invisible wave of energy shot out from him, throwing absolutely everyone who got in the way off of their feet.

"Doctor!" Jack yelled as he quickly got to his feet and tore over to the Time Lord, grabbing him from behind with his arm around his neck. "Doctor, calm down!"

He seemed to lose a little of his hatred as Jack called him, grip loosening as Owen's weak body collapsed to the ground, hand massaging his neck. Jack's arms dragged the Doctor to another wall and slamming him hard onto it.

"Doctor, calm down!"

"He was cutting me open!!!" the Doctor yelled back, fighting against Jack's strong grip to get away.

"I _told _him to cut you open!"

"Jack what's goin' on?!" called another voice from the top of the stairs, and both men looked up to see Rose staring at them both in alarm, the Doctor suddenly stiffening. "Doctor?!"

"R-Rose?" he stammered in shock, relaxing in Jack's grip. "W-What…" Obviously this seemed to be too much for him, instead slipping down and falling into sitting position on the floor, holding his head.

She bounded down the stairs three at a time, almost falling over in her rush. She grabbed him in a tight hug and held anxiously onto him.

"It's okay…it's alright…you're alright…" she whispered, stroking back his hair affectionately. "See? It's fine. You're fine."

"Where am I…what happened…?" he gasped, clinging desperately to Rose as he rocked back and forth. "Why…why is everything…why…Rose…ROSE?!" he cried out as his hands got tighter, more frantic to keep her there. She shushed him gently and held him close as Jack quickly gestured at the Torchwood crew, pushing them out of the room.

The Doctor was absolutely terrified. His body shook without control, something Jack took as both shock and the fact he was half naked. He swiftly grabbed a blanket from the side and draped it over his shoulders, trying to warm him up.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Jack asked immediately, dropping infront of the two. The Doctor closed his eyes, still looking more than petrified.

"Where am I…where am I…?" he repeated over and over again, tears pouring down his cheeks. Neither Rose nor Jack had ever seen this behaviour from the Doctor before, and they were terrified themselves.

"It's okay, we're in Jack's Torchwood, you got shot but you're okay now. Breathe deep."

"I can't…" he murmured, rocking back and forth in the foetal position. "I can't do it, I can't…"

"You can't what? You can't breathe right?" Jack asked quickly, already moving to get an oxygen mask – but what the Doctor said next stopped him dead in his tracks.

"I can't breathe at all…my lungs…they're dead…Rose…" He buried his head further into her shoulder. "I can't breathe…"

Jack moved back towards them both, grabbing a handy stethoscope from a tray of equipment on the side and kneeling down infront of the Time Lord. He checked the Doctor's hearts for beating but – not to his surprise – he found none. He quickly swept a scan over the Doctor for vital signs, coming up with the same negative everytime. The Doctor had no heartbeat, no pulse, wasn't breathing and had no activity in the brain. Every organ in his body said he was dead, but here he was perfectly alive.

"Okay just relax Doctor, focus." Jack took him by the shoulders and pulled him up slightly, examining the cut Owen had inflicted for the autopsy. It wasn't bleeding…his blood must have congealed. "Look at me."

The Doctor did so, and Jack could see this wasn't a joke. He really _was _terrified.

"Okay how about you just get some rest? We'll sort all this tomorrow."

The Doctor nodded as Rose and Jack offered him a hand up, supporting him as they made their way through the Torchwood base to the level above where the rest of the team dwelled. Aside from the fact the Doctor still looked like a dead body and was half in consciousness they treated him well, Ianto making Jack's bed habitable as it was the only place the Doctor could rest comfortably. He fell asleep before they even reached it, although the only sign that indicated he was asleep and not dead was the way his eyes moved beneath their lids in REM sleep.

Jack made up a bed on the sofa for Rose whilst the others filtered away back home for the night. He waited by Rose until she fell asleep, before quickly checking on the Doctor down on his bed. Still in REM.

"What happened to you?" he asked the sleeping alien, but he didn't reply. Without a hint of a dirty thought about the Time Lord being in his bed, Jack Harkness closed the lid and let him rest.

* * *

**A/N: **I like Firefly :D 


	4. Lies, Lies, Lies!

**A/N: **Yes, "Don't say the 'Z' word!" was from Shaun Of The Dead :P And YAY! I've figured out what's going to happen. Kinda. Maybe.

* * *

Chapter 4 – Lies, Lies, Lies!

The next morning Jack's first priority was to check on their guests.

Rose was still sleeping so he adjusted the cover over her before going to check on the Doctor. Lifting the lid that led to his further underground bedroom he cast his gaze downwards to the bed at the foot of the ladder – but it was empty.

Jack's eyes shot open, alarmed. He instantly got to his feet and span around the hub, looking for any sign of him. "Doctor? Doctor?!"

"Here," came the Doctor's voice from above. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, bounding up the stairs three at a time to enter the room where the Doctor – still looking dead – was relaxing back in the chair behind the desk, feet propped up on the desk. All the previously sealed boxes in the archives with implements in Jack had swore never to touch again were open everywhere, their contents spread out over the desk.

"Help yourself Doctor," Jack remarked casually, gesturing at the sight. The Doctor gave a half-smile but didn't respond verbally. He was holding the telepathic pendant that Tosh had found, examining it intently over with both hands.

"This is fascinating, and so_ancient_. Powers of telepathic parapsychology crammed into one pendant. Where did you find it?"

"…Long story."

He chose not to venture. "And this." He dropped the pendant and next picked up the Life Knife, mesmerised by it. It was similar to a normal knife, save for the extra two blades shaped like wings on the flat edges. "I can't figure it out. What is it?" Without waiting for a reply he held it between his forefingers, examining it over. He suddenly gasped in pain, the knife dropping to the table as he instinctively drew back. Jack caught the pinprick of blood where the point of the knife had rested on his finger, the Doctor staring at it as if it wasn't possible.

"I was gonna say, 'Life Knife'," Jack answered, grinning slightly. "It likes you."

"Well it would," the Doctor shrugged after a moment, sucking on the end of his finger. "Seeing as I'm dead."

"Did you see who killed you?" Jack jumped in at the opportune moment. The Doctor just stared at him.

"I _was _facing away at the time you know," the Doctor said patronisingly, as if Jack were a small child. Jack sighed.

"Yeah I know, but fact is Doctor, you're a corpse. We need to find the thing that killed you so we can sort this out."

"I just need the TARDIS so I can run some scans. Where is it?"

Something wasn't right here, so he decided to lie, "they're sending her on by lorry. She'll be here tomorrow, then we can check you out properly," as he spoke he could almost see the TARDIS where he had left her in one of the cells. Jack didn't trust the Doctor enough yet to take control of the TARDIS.

The Doctor nodded. "Good, good. How long was I _dead, _dead?"

"About five hours."

"You don't waste time, do you?"

Jack beamed. "Nah. Anythin' you need?"

"Some fresh air, if you don't mind?" he asked tentively, leaning forward slightly in anticipation. Jack couldn't blame him for needing some, but it was hardly appropriate for a man in his state.

"No offence Doc, but you'll scare little children. You look like Death having a hangover."

The Doctor pulled back dejectedly, rising from his seat. "Okay. Looks like I'll have to go back to bed. I'll see you later."

Jack nodded, watching as the Doctor slipped out of the room and back towards the hole-in-the-floor-bedroom, pulling the lid over his head as he disappeared inside. Jack turned back to the mess on the table, frowning through concentration. Something was _definately _not right.

* * *

"Has he been awake?" Rose asked Jack anxiously as the day rolled on, hopping from foot to foot as she lingered near the hole-in-the-floor-bedroom. 

Jack nodded, much to her relief. "He was wanderin' around this mornin'."

She smiled. "Good! I'll just go check on him."

She turned towards Jack's bedroom, but stopped when Jack called out to her, "Rose, be careful."

She looked back, a frown of confusion evident. "Of what?"

He paused for a moment. "Just…don't wander off with him, okay? Stay in sight. Somethin' might happen."

"Alright," she answered, shrugging as she turned and left.

* * *

"What does it feel like to be walking dead?" 

The Doctor looked up at his companion, lifting a cold hand to her face and brushing back a stray lock of hair. Rose shivered at his touch. He sighed, looking up to catch his reflection in a conveniently placed mirror affixed to the wall.

"It's just like being alive, except I can feel I'm empty."

"What d'you mean?" Rose asked, intrigued.

"Like…there's a part missing. You know you're dead, you're just…wandering around in a dream."

"So I'm a dream," she summed up in a laugh, but his facial expression didn't change.

"Sometimes I wonder," he muttered. She froze, staring at him for a moment.

"What did you say?"

"I said sometimes I wonder if you're a dream," he repeated slowly and clearly, and Rose just gawped.

"Doctor I-"

He shushed her gently, placing a cold finger on her lips. "Don't say anything. I just want to preserve this moment." She stood still as his fingers caressed her face gently, examining every inch over. "You're so beautiful."

She swallowed. "I…I don't know what to say."

He gave her a half-smile. "You don't have to say anything. Just kiss me," he whispered, leaning towards her and placing soft lips on hers. She melted in his kiss, somehow forgetting the fact it was technically necrophilia. They parted after a short while, the Doctor resting his forehead against hers. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that."

"Oh I think I do," Rose breathed, falling onto him in a hug. "I love you."

"Even if I'm dead?" the Doctor queried as he tightened his hug. Rose smiled and closed her eyes.

"Living is overrated," she said simply, unaware of the Doctor's hand slipping into his pocket and withdrawing the ready loaded colt 45 he'd taken from Jack's firearm cabinet. He reached around her back and aimed the pistol towards her head. One squeeze and she died. He smiled at the thought.

"I agree," he said, staring at the gun with concealed glee. "Have you ever wanted to die, Rose?"

She paused for a moment, burying her head further into his chest. "Yeah. Jimmy Stones." She didn't feel the need to elaborate on it, and thankfully he chose not to venture. "It's funny," she continued, "Jack told me to be careful around you."

"Why ever did he say that?" the Doctor asked, strengthening his grip on the gun. "He just has a grudge against dead people since he can't die himself."

"Huh?" Rose asked, suddenly drawing away from him and backing straight into the cold barrel of the gun he held. The Doctor's finger went to tighten on the trigger, but suddenly the gun went flying across the room as he cried out and grabbed his head.

"Run Rose!" he yelled to the girl, dropping to his knees and thrashing around, still holding his head. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

Rose nervously began to back away, torn between helping him and obeying him. "Doctor what's goin' on?!"

"Please!!!" he screamed, gasping for air. Rose stared, shocked. He was…breathing? She had to go and find help. She turned from him only to meet with the entire Torchwood crew led by Jack, who grabbed her and pushed her behind him.

"Jack what're you doin'?!" she yelled, trying to push back through. "He needs help!"

"Rose, he tried to shoot you!" Jack countered, pointing to the gun abandoned on the floor where the Doctor had thrown it. Rose couldn't believe her eyes.

"But he just…" she began, only to get cut off as the Doctor shook his head violently and straightened, suddenly no longer breathing. His eyes connected with Jack's. Slowly they both looked to the gun on the floor…and then they were running. The Doctor dived as Jack attempted to push him out of the way, successful scooping out the gun and swinging back around to the advancing Jack, firing a single shot straight through his head. Jack collapsed to the floor, dead. The Doctor jumped to his feet and aimed his gun straight at the rest of them.

"Don't think I won't shoot, there's enough bullets for every one of you," he spat, panning his vision around at them all. "I just want the TARDIS. Give it to me…" – he loaded the gun with a distinct click – "…and I won't hurt anyone."


	5. A Turn For The Worse

**A/N: **Been a bit busy lately, also doesn't help that I have seven thousand stories on the go O.O Two chapters maximum left.

* * *

Chapter 5 – A Turn For The Worse

Rose couldn't believe this was happening. Something in death had warped his brain, right? He was under the influence of the Devil or whatever. But this wasn't the Doctor. It couldn't be, right?

But here he was, standing in front of her holding the gun he'd almost shot her with, and already had Jack. His expression was one of determination, though not psychotic. Was he in there? Somewhere?

"Give it to me," he demanded again, jerking the gun in their direction. "NOW!"

Gwen stepped forward, pretty used to staring down a gun by now. "The TARDIS isn't here," she said in her vibrant Welsh accent. "Jack told you that."

"You're all lying!" he yelled, and Gwen could see by the fury in his eyes he was perfectly willing for them to eat lead. _"Tell me!"_

"Please, Doctor…" Rose suddenly started softly. "Think about this…"

"I won't warn you again!"

"Rose step back," Gwen ordered, possibly appearing a tad braver than she felt.

"No," Rose replied shortly, taking a bold step forward.

"I warned you!" he yelled, raising the gun. Suddenly it went flying as a hand came up from the floor, grabbing the Doctor's wrist and yanking it around. To everyone's complete astonishment Jack was alive, pinning the Doctor's wrist behind his back and hooking an arm around his neck, immobilising him.

"Don't fight!" Jack yelled, dragging the Doctor with him roughly towards the direction of the cells. The Doctor struggled against his grip, almost pulling away a few times.

"Jack don't hurt him!" Rose cried, reaching out a hand to the Doctor in desperation. "Please!" Jack didn't reply as he disappeared into the cells. Rose pushed past Owen and followed Jack and the Doctor, arriving just in time to see the Doctor scream in rage as they passed the cell with the TARDIS locked inside. Jack almost wrenched the Time Lord's arms out of his sockets as he maintained his grip, reaching the end cell and throwing the Doctor inside.

Rose heard a loud thud followed by the sounding of a collapsing body, knowing that the Doctor had just hit the wall, hard. She ran down the corridor and peered into the cell as Jack locked the door, seeing the Doctor get up off of the floor and run towards the clear wall, screaming appalling curses in English at the ex-Time Agent.

"Calm down, Doctor!" she screamed, her voice easily heightened over the chaos in the cell, but the Doctor wasn't willing to compromise. Jack gripped Rose's arm firmly, as if scared she'd try to release the Doctor.

"Let's go, Rose," he said firmly, pulling her away gently. She could hardly take her eyes off of the Doctor, who by now had pulled away from the glass and had sank dejectedly to the floor. Her heart was aching, but she let herself be pulled away.

* * *

"What're we gonna do?" Rose was asking Jack again and again, staring at the Doctor still curled up on the floor in the foetal position, rocking back and forth on the cold cell floor. 

"I don't know," Jack sighed, glancing at the monitor Rose was staring at. "It's like he's a completely different person."

"We can't just abandon him," Rose said instantly, "we have to find a cure."

"We don't even know what's wrong though," Jack countered, "and until we find somethin' we can't find a cure."

"I know, I know…" she muttered, still watching the monitor. The Doctor's shoulders were shaking now. Was he…? "But he'd never abandon us Jack, we can't abandon him."

Jack looked over at the monitor, seeing what Rose was seeing. "Well whatever's happened, it's driven him mad."

"Which is why we can't give up." Rose reached out to the screen as the Doctor lifted his head, and she could see tears falling down his cheeks. She began to get anxious. "I want to see him."

"You can't, Rose," Jack said firmly, "he's dangerous."

She sighed. "I don't care Jack, look at him." Jack did so, watching the Time Lord he had previously thought to be the greatest man and friend in the Universe break down in tears. All he was missing was a strait jacket. "I just wanna speak to him. Just for a moment. I'll find out what's goin' on inside his head, I'll try and fix it."

Jack knew arguing with Rose over the Doctor was going to get him nowhere.

* * *

He took Rose down to the cells, bringing up a chair from the side and placing it infront of the shield separating her from the Doctor. She sat down, placing a hand on the screen. 

"Doctor?" she asked in a whisper and he looked up, tears coursing down his cheeks. Rose gave him a smile.

"Hey," she said simply. He looked back up again, but Rose could only feel sympathy as he didn't even reply. She wanted nothing more than to take him into her arms and hold him tight.

"Rose," he whispered, voice weak. "Rose…help me…"

She instantly leant forward. "What's wrong?"

"Screaming…all the screaming, Rose. The cold. The blackness. It's hungry. It's…evil, Rose, deceptive…blinded…I can't fight it Rose, it's so strong…" He hugged himself, glancing up around him as though he could see dark shapes all around him. "So cold…" he whispered through shattering teeth, staring at the floor once more. "So cold…so lonely…so much _pain…"_

"Let me in there," Rose stated more than asked to Jack, arms folded resolutely.

"Rose…" he started, ready to reel off one hundred and one reasons why she couldn't possibly go in there but she had a reason to defeat them all.

"Please. I love him."

He sighed, unlocking the door for Rose to enter. "Five minutes."

Rose didn't bother looking up at him, simply dropped to the Doctor and pulled him close, cradling his head. She could feel him shaking.

"Jack, go get some blankets, he's freezin'."

He paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright. I'll be back in twenty seconds."

"Okay," Rose replied, holding the Doctor tighter as Jack jogged out the far door.

"Thank you," the Doctor whispered as Rose pulled him to him feet, taking him over to the bed. "I'm so sorry, Rose…I really am…"

"I know," she spoke softly to him, brushing back his hair.

"I couldn't stop it. It was taking control of me but I couldn't do anything…like it was control me."

"I know," she repeated, pulling back a little to wipe the tears from his cold cheeks. He smiled, and she gave one back.

"I couldn't bear it if you couldn't trust me," he was getting stronger with each sentence, but Rose found her eyes starting to water. "You do trust me, don't you? I'm just a little out of my head right now, you know that." He tentively reaching forward towards her face and cupping her chin. "I would never hurt you."

A tear slipped silently down Rose's cheek as she nodded, sniffing and only just about managing to look him in the eye. He gave her a gentle smile, and that was when Rose realised something was wrong. There was a smile, yes, but that wasn't _his _smile. _His _smile gave a twinkle in his eye, a twinkle he saved only for her. There was no twinkle this time…and all Rose saw was a fake smile, hiding a fake man.

This wasn't the Doctor.

"No!" Rose tried to scream but his hand was already clamped over her mouth, muting her painfully and his other hand pushed her forcefully backwards, pinning her to the wall. More tears fell down her cheeks, terror cascading right through her. She screamed against his grip, trying to pull away…but he was too strong.

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie," he said, panning her body up and down for a moment, taking in her enticing scent of honey and rose petals. "Why are you struggling?_I'm_ the Doctor, _I'm_ the man you love…"

He was speaking with the voice of a man who knew better. Rose screamed again, thrusting up a knee to catch him between the legs, but he was cleverer than that. He sidestepped, laughing heartily at her pathetic efforts to escape.

"You humans are so ignorant, so thick and easy to manipulate. I just slid right in and took his place under all your noses and you didn't even notice!"

She struggled once more, managing to dislodge his hand slightly from her mouth. "JACK! HELP ME! JACK!!! JAC-" His hand reassumed its position once more.

"No point calling out for your boy toy now Rosie, by the time he gets here it'll be too late." He wrenched her off of the wall and threw her onto the cot in the cell, jumping down onto her and pinning her down once more. She was screaming and thrashing around, trying to get free but to no avail. "Why are you screaming, Rosie? Isn't this what you've always wanted? Hell, the Doctor would be _thanking _me for finally doing this for him!" He yanked her hands above her head and held them easily down with one hand whilst the other lingered near the hem of her trousers.

"Let me GO! JACK!!! JACK!!!"

"Kiss me Rose, isn't this so_romantic?!"_

"HELP ME!"

But Jack was too far away.

* * *

"Jack!" 

Jack paused in his gathering of blankets, hearing Tosh's voice. She'd been checking the security footage…had she found something? He ran to Tosh at a crowd of computers, who was on her feet transfixed to the screen.

"What you got?"

"Camera footage," Tosh replied instantly in delight as Owen and Gwen ran up behind the two. "I checked the London security database, categorised Bucknall House, checked the archives and there's a recording at 9:31pm. It's a bit fuzzy and corrupted but…" Tosh tapped a button on the keyboard, and an image of the area outside Jackie's flat came into focus. The Doctor was strolling out of the flat, hands in pockets and fresh from his argument with Rose. He turned left to get to the stairs, staring at the ground as if absorbed in his own thoughts. Suddenly a black-cloaked figure appeared in the camera's vision, Jack taking in a breath as it walked straight into the Doctor.

But it didn't shoot. Not yet.

The Doctor's head indicated an apology and he walked on, the black-clad figure suddenly stopping dead in its tracks and swinging around with a gun raised in its palm, its hood flying off momentarily before the camera suddenly fizzed, and went dead.

"Bingo," Jack murmured. "Backtrack a few frames, get a match."

Tosh did so; pausing on the frame the assailant's head was most in focus. She tapped another button and a small square was set on the man's face, enlarging it. They all waited with baited breath as the computer started its search, and to them all it felt like an age before a match was found.

It brought up the profile, and everyone leant forward.

"Name, Ethan Miller…" Jack informed the gathered crowd, "age 34…Londoner…" he suddenly trailed off, staring at the screen in shock. "Uh oh. We have a problem."

Gwen had spotted it too. "He couldn't have murdered the Doctor. He died…two weeks ago."

Everyone suddenly went very cold.

Tosh was already tapping at the keyboard once more. "I'll double check. There must be a fault somewhere…" But although they all wanted to believe it, they knew it wasn't going to be possible.

The same thing that had possessed the man who had assassinated the Doctor now possessed the Time Lord.

That man down in the cells wasn't the Doctor.

And Rose was alone with him. 

Jack began to run.


	6. Life Rhymes With Knife

**A/N: **Not proofread or beta-ed or NOTHING! Mainly coz I don't have a beta. Which is probably why it's so crap. I was very lucky with it, I pre-wrote most of this a while ago XD Next chapter will probably be the last.

Oh, just a note - for anyone whose seen the rumours about the series four finale I _know _it sounds very me, but I assure you, I didn't write it. Really. :D

* * *

Chapter 6 – Life Rhymes With Knife

"JACK!" Rose could hear herself screaming but still no one came. "JACK! HELP ME!" Could they even hear her down here? Were they _completely_ isolated? "PLEASE!"

"Damn, you're sexy when you scream!" he growled, before throwing his head forward and shoving his tongue down her throat. She had to _do _something fast, so she braced herself, gritting her teeth and launching her head forwards straight into his nose, a move courtesy of Captain Jack Harkness.

The force knocked him off of her and he staggered backwards, hitting the wall with his hand over his nose. Rose quickly got up and tore away across the cell to the door, screaming for Jack all the way. She could hear footsteps running after her, making her chest tight and heart pump even faster, forcing her on.

The door infront of her suddenly exploded open, startling her as she stopped dead in her tracks. Two arms instantly grabbed her from behind, one folding around her neck whilst the cupped her chin. One jerk and he could cleanly break her neck. Rose wept in fear as she fell still in the Doctor's deathly grip, staring ahead at the crowd that had just filtered into the room.

Jack raised his gun towards the two. "Let her go, and get the hell out of the Doctor."

"Oh, so you finally figured it out." The Doctor's apparent form spat, tightening its lock on Rose. "Took you long enough!"

"Whatever you are, let her go and get outta him," Jack repeated resolutely.

"I'm hurt you don't know what I am yet. Rose knows."

Jack stared at Rose, confused. Evidently she was as puzzled as he was.

"Don't think I haven't been doing my own poking about in his memories. Oh, some of this stuff is brilliant. I'm so glad I met you!"

"Gelth…" Rose whispered. "But…how? We got rid of you…"

"The rest of my race, maybe. But not me. I am the last of the Gelth on your world, but there are more of us in the next universe. With the TARDIS I could break the walls and let us through, where we'll take over your world forever!"

"You needed him dead…" Rose was figuring it all out in her head. "So you killed him and took his body…" It nodded.

"But although his body was dead his mind lived on, which is strange. He's in here somewhere." It gestured remotely towards its head. "He's a fighter, I'll give him that. I feel terrible for him. He's having his life energy drained out of him, slowly and painfully as he sits inside watching himself do things he has no control over…" It paused for a moment, drawing in a breath through gritted teeth as it winced. "Nasty. But your Doctor, ooo, he won't let go."

"So it was him who stopped you from killin' me?"

"Yes, actually. He's really_very _annoying."

"Look, just let Rose go and we'll compromise," Jack tried to reason it out, loosening the grip on the gun slightly to signal negotiation.

"I don't need a compromise," the Gelth said, but to Jack's surprise it laxed its grip on Rose and threw her into the wall on its right. She clambered onto two feet, running to the Torchwood crew behind Jack.

"Doctor, if you can hear me we're gonna save you, okay?" Jack said firmly.

"Oh how touching," It smiled. "Best friends forever!"

"One more step and I'll shoot."

Its eyebrows rose. "But would you really, Jack? Would you hurt the man you love? He's still in here y'know. I can hear him screaming."

Jack fumed. "Get out of him!"

"Ooo, touched a nerve?" it mocked, moving to take the step forward. "He's in _so _much p-"

Jack pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Rose screamed, moving to run forward to the Doctor's form but Owen held her tight. "Get off, GET OFF!"

The Gelth had stopped dead in its tracks; looking down at the vague area Jack had shot it.

"Hey, that wasn't nice," it said simply.

Everyone blinked, Rose falling silent and shocked as the Gelth once more began to advance with a terrifying aura of power, completely unharmed by the bullet. Jack moved infront of the girls to protect them with his weapon raised, but already knew it would do no good.

"I'm already dead, Jack! You can't kill me again!"

The Gelth strode nearer and nearer, murder in its eyes. It began to speed up with its arms outstretched towards Jack's neck, laughing with joy at the helpless humans infront of it.

Then it stopped, its expression suddenly assuming one of utter shock.

"Oh yeah?" Jack asked as he stepped slightly back, revealing to the others the Life Knife sticking out of the Doctor's abdomen, Jack's hand clamped around the handle. "It's not called the Life Knife for nothin'."

Blood began to spill out from around the wound and all over Jack's hand, yet still there was silence. He gave it one last jerk before the Gelth began to scream, and he let go of the knife. The Gelth fell helplessly backwards onto the floor, thrashing around in utter agony.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled, breaking free from Owen's grip only to be halted by Jack.

"Wait, Rose!"

The Gelth was choking, and it took Rose a few moments to realise the Doctor's lungs were trying to breathe. Activity suddenly burst through his body and the Gelth was left helpless, unable to host an alive body.

"Get out!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, gasping from air as his back arched, coughing and spluttering to expel the Gelth. "I'm alive!"

"NO!" the Gelth screamed from the Doctor's mouth. "This cannot be!"

"I told you to _get out!"_the Doctor yelled, and it was more than bizarre to see two people speaking out of one mouth. He was still shaking and thrashing around, howling through both effort and the pain of the Life Knife. "Get out, get out, get _out!"_

The Doctor's mouth opened in a glow of bright energy, and a blue apparition swam out into the open air, screaming all the way. It span around the room in a whirlwind of screams, only halted once Rose suddenly heard the suction of a vacuum cleaner and helplessly the Gelth was sucked within. Her jaw dropped open as she stared at Gwen holding the vacuum, looking around at the gang with a hint of innocence.

"Thought it might come in useful," she said with a shrug. Jack grinned at her before following Rose across the corridor, who was already crouching next to the moaning Doctor.

"What did you do?" she asked the ex-Time Agent, trying to block out the Doctor's painful rasps of air as she held his head.

"Life Knife," he answered, peeling the shirt away from the mass of blood. "Long story. I'll explain later. He's bleeding fast, get the med kit, quick," the latter was to Owen, who fled.

"Oh, I wonder why I'm bleeding Jack? Maybe it's 'cause you _plunged a knife straight into me!"_The Doctor began to laugh genuinely, followed by a chain of hacking coughs. Jack ignored him, concerned only with stopping the bleeding. "Y'know there were these three sisters who lived in a treacle well, their names were…"

"He's delirious."

"You think?" Rose asked, rolling her eyes at the ex-Time Agent.

"But I don't feel like dancing la-la-la-la something-something la-la-la…" the Doctor said with a tune, "no sir, no dancing today!" He looked up at Rose, grinning slightly. "Rosie will you help me pick the flowers? Ooo the flowers smell nice like you ha, did you know you're vegetation?"

"D'you want him sedated?" Jack asked the London girl suddenly, sounding hopeful. She laughed and shook her head.

"Nah, this is actually pretty good."

"Agh I'm all sticky," the Doctor moaned, staring at his blood-coated hands. "Told you chips were uneatable without tomato ketchup…" He proceeded to lick the palm of his left hand, frowning slightly as he swirled the substance around in his mouth. "Eww. It's off." He clamped his hand back over his wound, moaning softly.

"Doctor, move your hand!" Jack took his wrist and pulled his hand gently, yet firmly off of the wound.

"You're not the boss of me!" the Doctor spurted out, making to move his hands back but Rose resolutely held them out of the way. He began to moan again, holding onto Rose's hands tightly.

"Waaaait…" he murmured, blinking up at Jack. "Didn't I marry you once?"

"I wish, Doc."

"Rose!" the Doctor suddenly yelled, bolting up and almost knocking himself and Jack out in the process. "Rose where are you?!"

"Here, Doctor!" she called instantly, taking his blood-coated hand. "What's wrong? What is it?"

"I'd like to marry you, you're funny," he said, grinning. "Can we play Sardines?"

"I wonder if he'll remember any of this later?" Jack asked mildly, before raising his voice to Owen now back in the room, "better sedate him and get him to the Med Bay. Get it sown together, else he'll bleed out." Owen nodded, already having brought a stretcher with forward planning. Together he and Jack lifted the delirious Time Lord onto it, who was staring at them both in awe. Rose stroked the Doctor's cheek as he giggled at the insertion of the needle in his right arm.

"So we've been told and some choose to believe it…I know they're wrong, wait and see…" he was off on a song again, eyes closing slightly as the sedate took hold. "Some day we'll find it…the Rainbow Connection…" He yawned, settling down in Rose's arms. "The lovers…the dreamers…" He stopped altogether, opening his mouth to whisper, "…and me."

"Let's go," Jack said, moving towards the Medical Bay with Rose in close pursuit.

* * *

**A/N: **I always knew it'd be something possessing his dead body, then I watched the Unquiet Dead...call me thick, but didn't _really _link the two things together for a few hours...I mean, we've seen the Gelth as a uniformity, but what about on their own in their true form? ...I thought it was interesting, anyway :P 


	7. Oh, Those Teeth

**A/N: **Yeah I could've used Gwen a bit more, and I would've if I wasn't so lazy...

* * *

Chapter 7 – Oh, Those Teeth…

The Gelth had been trapped into a jar and left on the side for the Doctor to attend to when he woke up. Rose and Jack both knew of the 'TARDIS Attic' but the Doctor had never allowed either of them to go in there, and for once the TARDIS agreed with him and resolutely kept it out of their way so they couldn't 'accidentally' walk into it. They had both spent many a night discussing its contents and trying to get the Doctor to slip up and tell them why it was so forbidden, but the Doctor was far too clever for them.

After a few hours his vital signs began to level out and for the first time since he'd been shot Rose began to feel things were finally going back to normal. Jack had already given her the pep talk on how he might not remember it and everything else, but Rose didn't much care as long as he woke up.

"So what did you do, anyway?" Rose was asking Jack in the meeting room a few hours later, munching on a slice of Jubilee Pizza. "How does the Life Knife work?"

Jack took a breath, casting a glance around at the other Torchwood members for a moment. "I figured the Gelth can only host a dead body, so in order to expel it the body had to be brought back to life. A while ago we found this glove, a resurrection glove, we could use it to bring the dead back to life for a few minutes or so. The knife is made of the same material as the glove, but there was an accident and the glove was destroyed, and I sealed the knife in the archives. But then the Doctor opened the archives, and I noticed when he cut himself with it he bled, with isn't supposed to happen with a dead person. So I guessed that goin' all the way would maybe bring him back."

"You stabbed him on a _hunch?"_Rose reiterated disbelievingly, her death glare apparent. Jack nodded meekly.

"Jack," suddenly said a voice from the doorway, and they both looked up to see Owen standing holding a blooded knife. He gestured with his head in the vague direction of the Med Bay. "He's waking up."

* * *

"Are you _sure _I haven't seen you before?" Rose could hear the Doctor's voice quite clearly as she jogged towards the Med Bay. "'Cause you seem awfully familiar. Was it on Vendeea 5? No, don't tell me! You were at that Yoga class, right?" 

Rose almost felt sorry for Gwen as the Doctor questioned her persistently, the Welsh Woman standing there looking a bit clueless as to what the Time Lord was going on about.

"No, no, wait, it was the Trampolining Convention on Peruxus, right? Tell me I'm right!" he said enthusiastically, looking like the cat that'd just got the cream.

"I'm sorry, I've never seen you before in my life," was Gwen's simple answer to that before Rose decided to intervene, marching into the view of the Doctor still lying on the table of the Med Bay with reels of bandages encasing his abdomen visible beneath a lifted t-shirt.

"Rose!" he suddenly beamed, lifting up his arms towards her to get a hug to which she obliged. "Perhaps _you _could tell me _where_ we are, _what_ we're doing here, _why_ I have a great big hole in my stomach and whether _any_ of these questions have something to do with Captain Jack Harkness?"

"You called?" Jack asked from the stairs, giving a wave. "How'd you guess?"

"Oh come on," the Doctor rolled his eyes, gesturing at himself. "I'm lying in an underground base in Cardiff surrounded by alien gizmos with a hole in my stomach. This has got 'Jack' written all over it. So what's going on?"

* * *

"Rose I'm so sorry," were the first words to leave his mouth as Rose's tale came to an end, looking at her through guilt-ridden eyes. "I didn't know…I probably tried to help but…" he was babbling as he felt the overwhelming urge to hug her, though wasn't sure whether he should. "I'm sorry…" 

"It's okay," she said with a smile, moving forwards as an indication he could hold her. "It wasn't you in there." She poked his chest as he held her protectively. "Just make sure it never happens again, okay?"

He just smiled and tightened his grip. As she burrowed further into him he suddenly winced and drew back, hand flying towards his wound.

"Sorry!" Rose quickly said, resting her hand on his.

"Don't be," he breathed, taking a few moments to reassert himself. "After all, you weren't the one who stabbed me…" He shot Jack a glance, who instantly became wide-eyed and innocent.

"Would you rather that thing stayed inside you?" he countered. The Doctor fell silent for a moment, regarding Jack with heavy eyes.

"No, sorry," he murmured, before adding, "thanks."

Jack saluted. "Don't think I enjoyed it…" – he caught the Doctor's stare – "…well, maybe a little." He raised his voice once more, "guess you'll be going back out soon then?"

"We'd better see Rose's mother first," the Doctor said with a trace of dread in his voice, "she'll want to know what's happened." He looked over at Jack again. "I don't believe you've met her, have you?"

Jack shook his head, thoughts flying everywhere about his head. "You hungry?" he eventually asked, making to get up as the Doctor nodded, but Rose stood up before he could.

"Don't worry, I'll go," she said with a smile, giving the Doctor a quick farewell hug before skipping off out the door. For a moment they both watched her go, before Jack quickly cast a look around the room, since void of Torchwood personnel.

"Can I…come with you?" he asked suddenly, leaning towards the Doctor conspiratually. "As much as I love my team, fightin' aliens in Cardiff can get a bit tedious."

"Sure, why not," the Doctor said instantly without a hint of hesitation.

"What?" Jack asked, surprised at the swiftness of the Doctor's reply.

"I said: sure why not," the Doctor repeated slowly and clearly, as if talking to a five-year-old. "I really don't mind. You saved Rose from…" He paused, his mouth suddenly going dry. "From me. Nothing can repay that."

"Do you really remember nothin'?" Jack asked, tilting his head to one side. The Doctor went to shake his head instantly, but suddenly paused for a moment and slowly began to nod.

"Just one thing. A slice. Just you, in the darkness. You said you were going to save me." He took another pause for breath. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Jack replied as Rose walked back in complete with a Jubilee Pizza box, already munching on a slice.

* * *

_Slap!_

"You unbelievably stupid, low-life, two-faced, cheatin', lyin', thick, frustratin', look-at-me-I'm-dead, rotten, stupid, useless alien scumbag!" was Jackie's exact reaction as the Doctor stepped warily out of the TARDIS into the Tyler Household, followed by a rather amused Rose and Jack.

"You used the word 'stupid' twice y'know," the Doctor said before he could stop himself, and then paled completely as his own words rung through his ears.

_Slap!_

"You waltz in 'ere with that dirty smirk on your face, pretending like nothin' ever 'appened! Do you _know _what my daughter went through for you?! DO YOU?! I bet you don't, do you! You let 'er cry 'er eyes out for you as you laid there covered in blood on the concrete, pretendin' to be dead!"

"Mum…" Rose quickly began, starting forward to save the Doctor from her mother.

_Slap!_

"Did you do it for _kicks? _Was it just a bit of _fun! _'Cause I'm tellin' you mister, I'm not havin' _any of it! _I've got my eye on you! I dunno _what_ spell you've got my Rose under; some kind of weird mind psychic thing, but if you hurt her in _any _way again I'll 'ave you! I can see right through your alien guise, Doctor! You're nothin' but a slimy rat! And I'll tel you somethin' else for nothin' you-"

"Mum!" Rose yelled suddenly, cutting Jackie off in mid-flow. "You don't understand!"

"I understand everythin' perfectly clearly my young lady, he-"

But before Jackie could go any further, Rose was attempting to pull off the Doctor's jacket.

"What're you doing?" the Doctor asked, still working through the pain of three Tyler slaps. Rose pulled off his jacket completely, now attempting to undo his shirt.

"Show her!" she almost screamed.

Far be it from the Doctor to be a little hesitant at undoing his shirt infront of Jackie Tyler, he had to give in and let Rose lift up the back, exposing the six bullet holes still visible in his back.

"…Oh," was all Jackie could muster as she stared at the sight presented before her. "…Do they hurt?" she asked eventually. The Doctor shook his head. "But won't they get infected?" He shook his head again.

"They'll eventually heal over," he answered her next question, and finally Rose let his shirt fall back down to cover the marks.

"And what's that?" she asked, pointing to the mass of bandages wrapped heavily around his abdomen.

"Jack stabbed me," he replied casually, gesturing with his head towards the ex-Time Agent.

"Oh," she finished, straining her head to look at the man he was gesturing to. That short cut black hair, those firm well-built muscles, and the shining pearl white teeth…oh, those teeth…

"And we're off!" the Doctor suddenly announced, already seeing where that was going to go. "Good bye Jackie, we'll explain everything later!"

Jack was robbed of giving Jackie a wink as the Doctor quickly herded both his companions into the TARDIS, closing the door firmly behind him. Second later the churn of alien engines started and the blue phone box began to fade away, taking the three with it.

**The End!**

* * *

**A/N: **Wooo! The End! This last chapter was a bummer to write. Completely struggled through it, please note the rushed ending and elaborate use of the Jackie Tyler slap :P Still, it was quite fun, hope you all liked it and if you got any questions (or managed to pick up on that blatantly obviously plot error midway through) then drop me a line, I'm happy to talk to anyone :D 

Tyvm, keep writing!  
Lar (RDA)


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